New Jersey Nutrition Job Information

New Jersey, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ranks fifth in the nation among states with the highest concentration of jobs for dietitians and nutritionists. Dietitians and nutritionists earned an annual mean salary of $61,660 in May 2012. Yet there continues to be a battle over licensure in this state.

In particular, New Jersey’s Dietitian/Nutritionist Licensing Act (Proposed Bill S833), which is designed to establish a clear licensing process for dietitians and nutritionists, has yet to be passed. Holistic nutritionists and dietitians see the bill as a hindrance, while registered dietitians in the state see it as a way to clearly distinguish those professionals who have met specific education and experience requirements.

Regardless of the lack of licensure in New Jersey for dietitians and nutritionists, many individuals choose to seek out registration through the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) and practice as Registered Dietitians (RDs).
If you want to become a registered dietitian (RD) in New Jersey, you must complete a number of steps:

Coordinated educational programs are all-inclusive programs, meaning that they include a course of study resulting in a bachelor’s or graduate degree, as well as a dietetic internship program, a course of supervised practice experience that totals at least 1,200 hours. Upon completion of a CP in New Jersey, you are eligible to sit for the CDR examination.

Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in community and public health nutrition education

Didactic Programs (DP)

Didactic programs culminate in a bachelor’s or graduate degree, although they do not include a dietetic internship (DI). As such, upon completion of a DP, you must complete a dietetic internship (DI) to be eligible to sit for the CDR examination.

American University’s online Master of Science in Nutrition Education will prepare you to become an influential leader in nutrition education and advocacy while promoting nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices in your community. This program does not prepare you to be a registered dietician. However, there are currently registered dieticians in this program for professional development and career advancement.

Finish Your Didactic Internship in New Jersey

Upon completion of an ACEND-accredited educational program in dietetics, you must complete a dietetic internship (DI) in New Jersey, a supervised course of practice that, upon completion, totals at least 1,200 hours. ACEND-accredited DI programs in New Jersey include the following:

Dietetic Registration (CDR) Exam in New Jersey

Upon completion of a CP or DI, you will be eligible to sit for the CDR examination, a computer-based, multiple-choice examination that must be passed before you can become a registered dietitian (RD).

Your program director will contact CDR with your eligibility to sit for the CDR exam. You can therefore expect to receive an email from ACT Inc., the company that CDR contracts to handle the examination, explaining the registration process, which includes an online registration and a $200 registration payment.

Once you have registered and paid the examination fee, you will receive an email from PSI Exams, the company that operates the more than 250 PSI Testing Centers across the country. Within New Jersey, there are PSI Testing Centers located in:

On the day of the exam, you must bring with you a government-issued photo ID and the confirmation email from PSI. You will have 2 ½ hours to take the examination, which consists of between 125 and 145 questions, along with an additional 25, non-scored, pre-test questions. The test format is as follows:

Food and Nutrition Sciences: 12 percent

Management of Food and Nutrition Programs and Services: 21 percent

Nutrition Care for Individuals and Groups: 50 percent

Foodservices Systems: 17 percent

Upon completion of the exam, you may check your online account immediately to see if you passed. You must score at least 25 on a scale of 0 to 50 to pass the exam.

If you fail the exam, you must contact CDR to reschedule, although you must re-register, pay the examination fee, and wait at least 45 days to do so.

Upon successfully completing the CDR, you will receive registration, thereby allowing you to practice as an RD and use the term RD.

Keep Up to Date on Proposed Licensure in NJ

The New Jersey Dietitian/Nutritionist Licensing Act (Proposed Bill S833) details the proposed bill for dietitian licensure in New Jersey. If this bill passes, it is likely that dietitians in New Jersey, to be licensed, must first become registered dietitians (RDs).